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The aim of this paper is to solve the toxic and harmful problems caused by traditional volatile corrosion inhibitor (VCI) and to analyze the effect of the layered structure on the enhancement of the volatile corrosion inhibition prevention performance of amino acids.

The carbon dots-montmorillonite (DMT) hybrid material is prepared via hydrothermal process. The effect of the DMT-modified alanine as VCI for mild steel is investigated by volatile inhibition sieve test, volatile corrosion inhibition ability test, electrochemical measurement and surface analysis technology. It demonstrates that the DMT hybrid materials can improve the ability of alanine to protect mild steel against atmospheric corrosion effectively. The presence of carbon dots enlarges the interlamellar spacing of montmorillonite and allows better dispersion of alanine. The DMT-modified alanine has higher volatilization ability and an excellent corrosion inhibition of 85.3% for mild steel.

The DMT hybrid material provides a good template for the distribution of VCI, which can effectively improve the vapor-phase antirust property of VCI.

The increased volatilization rate also means increased VCI consumption and higher costs.

Provides a new way of thinking to replace the traditional toxic and harmful VCI.

For the first time, amino acids are combined with nano laminar structures, which are used to solve the problem of difficult volatilization of amino acids.

The functioning of multi-gene genetic programming (MGGP) algorithm suffers from the problem of difficulty in model selection. During the preliminary analysis, it is observed that there are many models in the population whose performance is better than that of the model selected with a little compromise on training error. Therefore, an ensemble evolutionary (Ensemble-MGGP) approach is proposed and applied to the data obtained from the vibratory finishing process. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Unlike the standard GP, each model participating in Ensemble-MGGP approach is made by combining the set of genes. Predicted residual sum of squares criterion (PRESS) criterion is integrated to improve its evolutionary search. The parametric analysis and sensitivity analysis (SA) conducted on the proposed model validates its robustness by unveiling dominant input parameters and hidden non-linear relationships.

The results indicate that the proposed Ensemble-MGGP model outperforms the standardized MGGP model. SA and parametric analysis reveals relationships and insights into vibratory finishing process.

Literature emphasises on characterization of vibratory finishing process using the experimental-based-studies. In addition, the issue of difficulty in model selection in genetic programming is addressed. This work proposes a new ensemble evolutionary approach to counter these issues.

This paper aims to analyze soil electrical properties based on fractional calculus theory due to the fact that the frequency dependence of soil electrical parameters at high frequencies exhibits a fractional effect. In addition, for the fractional-order formulation, this paper aims to provide a more accurate numerical algorithm for solving the fractional differential equations.

This paper analyzes the frequency-dependence of soil electrical properties based on fractional calculus theory. A collocation method based on the Puiseux series is proposed to solve fractional differential equations.

The algorithm proposed in this paper can be used to solve fractional differential equations of arbitrary order, especially for 0.5th-order equations, obtaining accurate numerical solutions. Calculating the impact response of the grounding electrode based on the fractional calculus theory can obtain a more accurate result.

This paper proposes an algorithm for solving fractional differential equations of arbitrary order, especially for 0.5th-order equations. Using fractional calculus theory to analyze the frequency-dependent effect of soil electrical properties, provides a new idea for ground-related transient calculation.

The purpose of this paper is threefold: first, testing the relationships between internal marketing and employee satisfaction; second, investigating the links between employee satisfaction and perceived organizational performance; and finally, testing the relationship between internal marketing and perceived organizational performance.

Data were collected from 419 employees working in 53 microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Kivu (DR Congo). Data processing was performed using structural equations modeling through LISREL 9.1.

The results revealed that there is a positive and significant relationship between internal marketing and employee satisfaction. The results also revealed that there is a positive and significant relationship between internal marketing and perceived organizational performance. However, no significant relationship between employee satisfaction and perceived organizational performance was identified.

There is a need to conduct a large qualitative survey aiming to understand why MFIs apply internal marketing and marketing practices in general. The results from such a study would serve to prepare a global quantitative study, which integrates in the same model internal marketing, external market orientation, employee job satisfaction (EJS), and organizational performance.

Results invite MFIs managers to change their mind and focus more on their employees. In fact, employees generate the most cost in general but they can also contribute to sustain growth and profitability. This is possible if they are better rewarded for their efforts.

This study links internal marketing, EJS and perceived performance in a sector and country which have been less or not studied in the marketing sector.

Popular regression methodologies are inapplicable to obtain accurate metamodels for high dimensional practical problems since the computational time increases exponentially as the number of dimensions rises. The purpose of this paper is to use support vector regression with high dimensional model representation (SVR-HDMR) model to obtain accurate metamodels for high dimensional problems with a few sampling points.

High-dimensional model representation (HDMR) is a general set of quantitative model assessment and analysis tools for improving the efficiency of deducing high dimensional input-output system behavior. Support vector regression (SVR) method can approximate the underlying functions with a small subset of sample points. Dividing Rectangles (DIRECT) algorithm is a deterministic sampling method.

This paper proposes a new form of HDMR by integrating the SVR, termed as SVR-HDMR. And an intelligent sampling strategy, namely, DIRECT method, is adopted to improve the efficiency of SVR-HDMR.

Compared to other metamodeling techniques, the accuracy and efficiency of SVR-HDMR were significantly improved. The SVR-HDMR helped engineers understand the essence of underlying problems visually.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of different sources of external financing and internal financial capabilities on competitiveness and sustainability. This paper also studies the nature of their relationships related to regulations on external financing in Chinese capital market.

Resource- and industry-based views provide a theoretical background. Based on balanced panel of 4,530 firm-year observations, hierarchical regressions were used to examine the research model.

Results support the idea that the strict Chinese regulatory regime allows some firms to access capital and debt markets for financing more than others. It was found that firms’ internal financing abilities do not offer a significant advantage compared to external financing abilities; firms’ abilities to raise capital from existing shareholders, the public and easy access to bank financing are related positively for an advantage on firm’s competitiveness within a industry. Firms with the ability to offer shares to existing shareholders, issue non-convertible and convertible bonds and access to bank financing are sustainable in long-run.

This study focuses on sources of financial capability of Chinese listed firm impact on competitiveness and sustainability. It is context specific to a regulated market. Hence, it is necessary to replicate this study in other contexts.

Implications include the need to mobilize external financial resources for small and privately-owned firms and to further reform security regulations to ensure fair competition and sustainability.

The authors originally investigate the effect of sources of financial capability impact on firms’ competitiveness and sustainability in a regulated market. The paper explains the relationships, and enhances the understanding of regulated capital market and existing literature.

Housing prices in China have increased rapidly over the past decade. Motivated by the fact that the real estate market and bank credit scale are vastly different in Chinese cities, the purpose of this paper is to compare the impact of bank credit on house prices in first- and second-tier cities in China.

In this study, a panel data method was used to investigate 19 first-tier cities and 30 second-tier cities between the period 2003 and 2018.

The empirical analysis undertaken in this study found that bank credit was relevant to house prices but varied in different cities in which house prices in second-tier cities tended to be more affected by bank credit compared to those in first-tier cities. In contrast, population was found to be a dominant factor that influenced house prices in first-tier cities. Likewise, the factors, per capita and gross domestic product, were found to exert a significant influence on house prices in first- and second-tier cities.

This paper provided numerous policies to control the price of housing in first- and second-tier cities.

The housing prices, bank credit scale and population distribution are vastly different in different cities in China. This research considers these differences while examining the dominant factors that affect house prices in first- and second-tier cities in China.

The purpose of this study is to simultaneously determine the constitutive parameters and boundary conditions by solving inverse mechanical problems of power hardening elastoplastic materials in three-dimensional geometries.

The power hardening elastoplastic problem is solved by the complex variable finite element method in software ABAQUS, based on a three-dimensional complex stress element using user-defined element subroutine. The complex-variable-differentiation method is introduced and used to accurately calculate the sensitivity coefficients in the multiple parameters identification method, and the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm is applied to carry out the inversion.

Numerical results indicate that the complex variable finite element method has good performance for solving elastoplastic problems of three-dimensional geometries. The inversion method is effective and accurate for simultaneously identifying multi-parameters of power hardening elastoplastic problems in three-dimensional geometries, which could be employed for solving inverse elastoplastic problems in engineering applications.

The constitutive parameters and boundary conditions are simultaneously identified for power hardening elastoplastic problems in three-dimensional geometries, which is much challenging in practical applications. The numerical results show that the inversion method has high accuracy, good stability, and fast convergence speed.

The resource-based view (RBV) emphasises the importance of resources for firm performance. However, recent research argues that the focus on firm performance should also be based on inside-out (IO) and outside-in (OI) capabilities. Specifically, we study the importance of resources on product development (an IO) and market driving (an OI) entrepreneurial marketing capabilities on entrepreneurial firm performance in an emerging market. The study further investigates the moderating effects of marketing agility on the relationship between resources and capabilities.

The study is based on survey data of a multi-industry sample of 102 entrepreneurial firms in Pakistan.

The results show that marketing agility moderates the relationship between resource-mix flexibility on product development and market driving capabilities, but it only positively moderates the relationship between resource-mix inimitability and product development capability. Marketing driving and product development capabilities play a role as parallel mediators between resources and firm performance.

The study lies at the intersection of marketing and entrepreneurship literature by (1) providing a nuanced understanding of marketing agility as a boundary spanning factor for IO and OI entrepreneurial marketing capabilities; (2) integrating the resource types and product development from IO and market-driving from OI capabilities perspectives; (3) identifying the effects of IO and OI on firm performance providing guidance for entrepreneurs seeking improved firm performance.